I think that people who don't understand the fundamentals should be careful about jumping readily to conclusions about how vehicle designs should be modified, or attributing miraculous capabilities to the levers and springs of a WD system.

I agree with you 100% Brian.

Only highly skilled folks that have decades of dedication in the field should be involved with the subject at hand.

It is good so see the Alto is working well with so many fuel effiecient vehicles. The future looks bright for those of us who are looking for fuel efficent, fun to drive solutions.

I'm obviously interested in alternative tow vehicles with Obama pushing for heavier carbon use fees thru non legislative process.
Carbon fees are something we should all be concerned about. .

Carbon Tax on fuel has been a reality in many developed countries (including Canada) for years now. In regards to the level of concern in countries that have it, no one has been reported to have died from a Carbon tax so far but some end users do report an major increase in their heart rate while pumping case, so the level of concern is not really all that great ;-) Carbon Tax is a great motivator for the end user who pays the tax to make lifestyle changes to their fuel usage to reduce the tax they pay. Funny enough the biggest users of carbon resources are the US, Russia & China & all are resistant to embracing Carbon Tax ........ go figure.

As an aside, it seems vehicle manufacturers have a lot more than small trailer towing to consider...note Jeep recalling a ton of Jeeps for a fire hazard. As some one suggested we are a small part of the equation and maybe unfortunately. I suspect small trailer towing and their drivers are safer than most.

What do you think the pupose of the tube is? I assumed the purpose was to stiffen the unibody frame.

Yes, to stiffen the unibody... or to strengthen the unibody, or to reduce load at the attachment points, or to stiffen or strengthen the hitch.

The most obvious purpose for a long longitudinal tube such as that described is as a lever to apply the WD system torque: widely separating the forward point where the hitch pulls down on the vehicle and the rearward point where the hitch might actually be pushing up reduces the magnitude of those forces. Transmitting this torque to the vehicle structure with this longitudinal tube also relieves the rest of the hitch structure of this load, reducing any twisting of the lateral structural tube which is typical of hitches.

Can-Am has also reported (in magazine articles) that as they heavily load some commercially available hitches they notice that the lateral structural tube of the hitch bends during use; the longitudinal tube acting in tension would reduce that bending under pulling force, by transferring load to whatever part of the vehicle it is attached. I note that the main structural elements of any common vehicle run along its length down each side, located to connect to the suspension mounting points and bumper mounts; there is relatively little structure suitable for hitch attachment along the centreline, which is why hitches are generally lateral structures connecting the receiver box to the vehicles main structures.

__________________1979 Boler B1700RGH, pulled by 2004 Toyota Sienna LE 2WDInformation is good. Lack of information is not so good, but misinformation is much worse. Check facts, and apply common sense liberally.STATUS: No longer active in forum.

What's the big deal about towing an Alto??? That trailer weighs less than the Trillium I tow with my old '97 Kia.

The big deal is that is shown being towed by a Pontiac Solstice, which is not based on a small commercial vehicle chassis like your Kia, and is substantially shorter in wheelbase.

Is the Trillium over 1683 pounds empty and dry, like the Alto? I don't think it's 17 feet long, like Alto.

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__________________1979 Boler B1700RGH, pulled by 2004 Toyota Sienna LE 2WDInformation is good. Lack of information is not so good, but misinformation is much worse. Check facts, and apply common sense liberally.STATUS: No longer active in forum.